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![The Count of Monte Cristo [Abridged] by Alexandre Dumas](https://cdn.thestorygraph.com/1qy27ultqt1q86gtbubgprtxmd89)
4.23 AVERAGE
4.23 AVERAGE
*NOTE - THIS REVIEW IS ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC, B&N CLASSICS ABRIDGED EDITION*
I got through the majority of this book and was constantly wondering why it was considered such a masterpiece. Then I turned to the front and realized I had been reading an abridged translation. I did a bit of research and it looks like this edition by Barnes and Noble classics preserves the basic plot but removes a lot of nuance from the original. I do not recommend this edition, as it is simply very dry to read. I plan on picking up the Buss translation at some point and reading that.
I got through the majority of this book and was constantly wondering why it was considered such a masterpiece. Then I turned to the front and realized I had been reading an abridged translation. I did a bit of research and it looks like this edition by Barnes and Noble classics preserves the basic plot but removes a lot of nuance from the original. I do not recommend this edition, as it is simply very dry to read. I plan on picking up the Buss translation at some point and reading that.
Somehow I didn't read this in high school English and this was my first time reading it. I was SO confused by what was happening, who was whom, why someone hated someone else...that it was hard to keep reading. That said, the parts I DID understand were intriguing, the characters developed and the story was interesting. I wonder if I would have had a better experience had I read the complete version, instead of the abridged version.
Read for 2016 Popsugar challenge- a book at least 100 years older than you.
Read for 2016 Popsugar challenge- a book at least 100 years older than you.
After I finish a book, I often struggle to decide what I want to say about it, but I have never been at more of a loss than I am right now (exactly three minutes after finishing this book). I don’t have a single negative thing to say about it, but I have such an overwhelming amount of positive things to say that I hardly know where to start. The most natural place to start feels like the very beginning before I even started reading because I already had thoughts just by looking at the book itself. My copy has 591 pages and, honestly, I was terrified to start it, but I took the plunge anyway. There aren’t enough words to express just how worth it (and necessary) every single one of those pages was. Not only do I feel a sense of accomplishment at having finished this book page wise, but I also feel accomplished knowing that I took in a complex story that has, over the course of my reading it, become extremely meaningful to me. I feel like it has completely changed and expanded my view of storytelling, partially by allowing me to become accustomed to a writing style that is almost obsolete as of today, yet is still incredibly successful at conveying a great story. This book was just so engaging, compelling, and, despite what I thought it would be based on the length, fast paced. It had so many layers and I feel especially that the author’s point of view allowed for deep dives into numerous characters and storylines that were necessary to make the story as compelling as it was. The author spared no details, which only served to make the story more immersive and the end more satisfying. It has been quite a while since I have been so drawn in by a character in a book. I really appreciated the author’s attention to detail, mostly because that did play a huge role in me feeling like I was truly looking in on the characters’ lives. It made them, and the story, feel more realistic. By the end, I was more invested in a story and set of characters than I probably have ever been. I think this book also raises important questions pertaining to spirituality, morals, and life in general. I love that the main character, and so many others, we’re morally ambiguous as opposed to so many other one-note characters that I have read about. I’m just ranting now, so I’ll call it here, but all in all this was a fantastic book, it is absolutely a new favorite of mine, and I will be reading it again. (Seriously, it’s so good I’m considering flipping back to the front and just starting it over again right now).
Romantic and unreal, Dumas perfected the unbelievable into the extraordinary. so much fate, so much loss. And yet, so much love, and so much hope. Never before has a story had the humbling effect of humanity like this for me. I suppose all human wisdom can be conveyed in two words. I shall remember them.
Review posted here https://55booksin52weeks.wordpress.com/2016/09/10/review-the-count-of-monte-cristo/
(3.5 stars) oh sweet, sweet revenge. I had no clue what to expect going into this behemoth of a book, but I was hooked from the beginning. A wronged man, set on getting revenge against his accusers!! A lost love!! Fortune!! Romance!! VENGEANCE!! I don't think I could sum this up any better. And for a book that is as long as it is, it was surprisingly easy to get through.
One of the best books I've ever read. A true classic that should be required reading for every student!
*I read a different abridged version than what shows here, and I think mine was better.
This was like a soap opera! It moved quickly and was always interesting. The end was a little weird, and I don't understand why the count had M take that stuff. Why didn't he just bring V in? I'm trying not to be too spoilery, but I guess it's not really a sliding scale of spoilness.
This was like a soap opera! It moved quickly and was always interesting. The end was a little weird, and I don't understand why the count had M take that stuff. Why didn't he just bring V in? I'm trying not to be too spoilery, but I guess it's not really a sliding scale of spoilness.